Unnamed recurring characters The following unnamed characters appeared in several episodes: Pennie Marie-Hawkins, Steven Hauptman, and Nicholas Ritz as unnamed patrol officers who appeared at homicide scenes in every episode. Randall Bruce, Morris Lee Sullivan, Robin E. Silas, and Zach Stewart as unnamed detectives. Anne Keeble as Lt. Mason's secretary. Tiffany Tremblay as the homicide division's receptionist. Steven Schoolmeesters as Dr. Ward's assistant. Alicia McGill as a WXYZ-TV news reporter. Episodes Production On November 6, 2009 ABC picked up five new projects from Mandeville Films which included Detroit 1-8-7, at the time called "187 Detroit". ABC ordered the pilot of Detroit 1-8-7 on January 4, 2010. Jon Michael Hill was the first person cast for the show in late January. Nellie Andreeva, then of The Hollywood Reporter, reported on January 27, 2010 that the lead role in Detroit 1-8-7 had been offered to British actor Jason Isaacs. Aisha Hinds, Natalie Martinez, and D.J. Cotrona were all cast in February 2010. It was announced on night of March 2, 2010 that Michael Imperioli joined the cast of Detroit 1-8-7. Three days later it was announced that James McDaniel, Shaun Majumder, and Erin Cummings had been cast in the remaining principal roles of Detroit 1-8-7. The character Detective Louis Fitch was originally named Joseph Fitch and the Wayne County Medical Examiner's name was Dr. Hailey Cork in the pilot. The pilot was filmed in Atlanta, Georgia in March 2010. On May 18, 2010 it was confirmed that ABC had picked up Detroit 1-8-7 for the 2010–11 TV season. Although the pilot episode was shot in Atlanta, the series is filmed in Detroit. Originally planned as a mockumentary, ABC decided to abandon the format after the Detroit Police Department suspended real-life documentary ridealongs by camera crews after a controversial police shooting during filming of the A&E documentary series The First 48. The casting call for extras in Detroit was announced on June 18, 2010. Production on the series began on July 20, 2010. Scenes from the pilot were re-shot to remove the mockumentary format before the episode aired. There was a controversy over a single word in the script of the premiere, "soda". The character Pooch, played by Mo McRae said, "You just drunk the last of my soda." The next morning it was a recurring topic on local radio station WDZH (98.7 AMP) about which is the proper term for soft drink